A long way from the monophonic earphone used to listen to the ubiquitous transistor radio of days past, modern headphones have become a central part of our electronic device culture. Just as the devices themselves have become our own personal world as we move about our day, our headphones have become the way we listen to audio and video content of all kinds. Equipped with a microphone, they also allow us to have hands-free conversations and video conferences—as well as record content with our smartphones.
Because of the value they provide in our everyday electronic device experience, it has become acceptable and expected for an individual to spend a considerable amount on not just one set of headphones, but often on several. Earbuds, traditional headphones, noise cancelling headphones for travel, wireless ear pieces, wireless headphones, telephonic headsets, and other variations often sit side by side in our arsenal—but also often lay side by side in a pile when not in use.
Perhaps second only to the convenience these headphones provide, is the inconvenience of storing them. Cords quickly get tangled. Components get lost. Our expensive headphones can easily fall off a table, behind a desk or night stand, get lost, stepped on, washed in laundry, and thereby damaged and destroyed. Even when they are not damaged or lost but simply mislaid—we can still waste a great deal of time looking for them.
In addition to the poor solutions currently available for storing headphones when not in use, there are few effective solutions for charging headphones. Typically you connect one end of the cable to the headphones, the other end to a wall outlet or USB port, and just set the headphones on the nearest surface—or worse, let them dangle. What's more, no effective solution exists for charging headphones alongside the devices they are commonly used with.
While these units may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present disclosure as disclosed hereafter.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.